We are pleased to announce the 2013 Cycle A recipients of the Leadership U[niversity]—Continuing Ed program. Through the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, grants of up to $5,000 will support four mid-career and veteran theatre professionals at TCG Member Theatres for learning opportunities to advance their leadership skills. The goal of this program is to strengthen the field by developing the individuals who are the core and the future of theatre. The Cycle B Continuing Edgrant application process will launch in October of 2013.

“Our long-standing partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation allows us to create the leadership development opportunities for theatre practitioners that are essential to the growth of our field,” said Teresa Eyring, executive director of TCG. “These mid-career and veteran theatre practitioners will expand their leadership skills in areas that include production management, fundraising and new play development.”

Leadership U[niversity] awards grants in two initiatives: One-on-One for early-career leaders and Continuing Ed for mid-career and veteran professionals. Continuing Edgrants of up to $5,000 are awarded to mid-career to veteran professionals at TCG Member Theatres for learning opportunities to advance their leadership skills. Grants have been awarded to the applicants’ home theatres on behalf of the theatre practitioners.

Actors Theatre of Louisville, Paul Werner, Production Manager, Louisville, KYWerner will observe the production process at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Contemporary American Theater Festival to learn best practices to incorporate into his own theatre’s production process.

Hangar Theatre, Joshua Friedman, Managing Director, Ithaca, NYFriedman will increase his fundraising skills at intensive courses at the Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He will be mentored by Timothy J. Shields, managing director of McCarter Theatre in board relations and board development.

PlayGround, James Kleinmann, Artistic Director, San Francisco, CAKleinmann will examine models of new play and playwright development: specifically, how we support early-career playwrights through meetings with and observation of new play leaders from coast to coast, including the Lark Play Development Center, New Dramatists, Playwrights Horizons, Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3, National New Play Network, South Coast Repertory and Center Theatre Group.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Thomas Weitz, Director of Digital Assets, Chicago, ILWeitz will investigate the process by which arts and cultural institutions conceive and produce interactive exhibitions by making site visits all over the country. He will study many arts and cultural institutions’ creative processes to learn how they measure success and what they perceive as potential pitfalls in the process of execution.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a private philanthropic institution that makes grants on a selective basis in five core program areas: higher education and scholarship; scholarly communications and information technology; museums and art conservation; conservation and the environment; and performing arts. The Foundation’s Performing Arts program focuses on achieving long-term results by providing multi-year grants to leading organizations in the disciplines of music, theater, and dance. Annual giving in the area of the performing arts has averaged approximately $30 million per year since 2005. In 2004 The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was awarded a National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. www.mellon.org